The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-07-13
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL

has been bringing to light many valuable
and interesting relics Of the prehistoric
hke-dwellers.
A Russian engineer says that he has
discovered process of reducing petroleum
to the form of crystals, which may be
easily and safely transported to any dis
tance and then reconverted into liquid
form.
The addition of sugar to mortar greatly
increases its strength. 1t is supposed
that the wonderful Roman mortar, hard
after 1900 years had passed, owed its
excellence to the addition of saccharine
matter
The steam power Of Great Britain is
estimated to perform the work Of more
than 400, 900, 900 able-bodied men, which
must nearly represent the labor capacity
of the entire human race without the aid
of machinery.
DR.. Vulpian has reported to the Paris
Academy of Sciences that during the
epidemic of yellow fever lately prevailing
In Rio Janeiro, of @, 524 persons inoculated
against the fever, only six died, or less
than one per thousand, while the pro-
portion of deaths among those not treated
was one per cent.
A late observer, Mr.. E. Sanford, re-
ports having made common snail carry
load of 24 ounces up a perpendicular
wall its own weight being but quarter
of an ounce. A snail weighing third
of an ounce drew load of seventeen
ounces on horizontal table, and sup
ported four ounces while crawling on the
ceiling. 1t even climbed thread with
another snail on it back.
It Is said that Baltimore man has in
vented a foot measuring machine which
he says measures accurately every in
equality Of the foot, adapts itself to the
curves of the instep, and overcomes the
difficulties heretofore encountered in OBJ
tanning a good fit. The machine repro
duces the shape and size of the foot on
diagram, with the diameter and circum'
ference of the various parts.
DIR. Davenport, the analyst of the
Massachusetts, State Board of hSalth,
makes some returns that will be of inter-
est to all. Out of twenty advertised cures
for the opium habit, all but one contained
opium. A marvellous cure double
chloride of gold, contained no gold A
| ihlSC nuulDCI vi
were also examined. All contained al
cohol, and one as high 44.3 per cent.
The majority contained over 20 per cent.
A preparation analyzing 41.6 per cent.
was claimed by its manufacturer ito be
purely vegetable extract"
DR.. Oscar Lenz, the eminent scientist,
has lately returned to Europe, after travel
ing on foot across the African Continent,
through regions literally reeking with
marsh fevers, agues, and smallpox.
During the entire journey he enjoyed
perfect and robust helth, and on not 9
single occasion felt the need of medicine
remedial or preventive. This immunity ht
| attributes almost entirely to his correc
diet and habits. Raw fruit he eschewed
All water used was first boiled. Not ;
drop of alcoholic liquor passed his lips
Rice, chicken, and tea formed his stapl'
fare. He avoided bathing in cold water
exposed himself as little as possible t,
the u Z esSss ms snd mists of night, and dressed
entirely in flannel.
AS crabs approach old age and NO
longer increase in size, their shells, which
In youth were shed frequently to accom-
modate growth of body, are ofteL re-
tanned several years, and the creatures be-
come liable to fall victims to the strangest
sort of parasitism. Barnacles and all
sorts of marine growths collects upon the
shell, and in many cases almost COM
pletely hide the crab. A remarkable ex-
ample of this may be seen in the British
Museum, where has been placed an old
crab of the edible species, with some
half f-doZen oysters of large size fixed to
its back, which load, ever increasing, the
old crab was doomed to carry TO the end
of its days. Another curious specimen
preserved is that of hairy crab, which,
though not larger itself than walnut, is
saddled with q sponge as big as mans
fist